Holder assembly for reflector type floor lamps



May 30, 1939. P.. LEBERT Er AL.

HOLDER ASSEMBLY Fon REFLECTOR TYPE FLooR LAMPS l Filed May '7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY 5 May 30, 1939.

P. LEBERT ET Al.

HOLDER ASSEMBLY FOR REFLECTOR TYPE FLOOR LAMPS Filed May 7, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 30, 1939 PAT E HOLDER ASSE alii'- FR REFLECTOR TYPE FLOOR LAMPS Peter Lebert, Chicago, and Rudolph Back, Congress Park, ill., assignors to G. & L. Machine & Tool Works, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application May 7, 1938, Serial No. 206,614

6 Claims.

This invention has to do with reiiector type floor lamps and is particularly concerned with the holder assemblies employed in such lamps.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved holder assembly which is inexpensive to manufacture, is strong, rigid and durable, and is very easy to wire-the wiring space within the inside of the -body being readily accessible at all times.

Other more specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full understanding of the construction and arrangement of the parts which combine to form the improved holder assembly.

Two embodiments of the invention are presented herein for the purpose of exemplication, but it will of course be appreciated that the invention is susceptible of incorporation in other 20 structurally modied forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a side view of the new holder assembly;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, with the outer ornamental shell removed;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the shell;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the assembly, taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, with the 30 outer shell removed and with a portion of the socket-mounting strap broken away;

Fig, 5 is a vertical section through the center of the assembly, showing the reector-lamp socket and the supporting pipe in side elevation;

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail sectional views through intertting portions of the lower edge of the shell and the rim of the body, taken respectively on the lines 6-6 and I- of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8 is a side view of a modified form of the 40 holder assembly, with'the outer shell removed.

The holder assembly shown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive will first be described. As will be observed in those Views, the device includes a hollow upwardly opening cup-shaped sheet metal 45 body I0 which is provided with a plurality of radially extending tubular arms l I for the reception of wires (not shown) leading to lamp sockets on the outer ends of the arms. The body I0 is provided with an aperture I 2 in the 50 center of the bottom of the same to permit passage therethrough of a pipe I 3 which supports the assembly.

A sheet metal strap I of inverted U shape is secured to the top of the body Ill. The legs 55 I5 of the strap are fastened at their lower ends (Cl. E40-81) to the sides of the body by tongues I6 which are struck inwardly from the rim of the body I0 and extend through slots in the legs IE into firmly interlocked association with the latter. The tongues IS are preferably spread apart somewhat to rmly grip the legs of the strap, although a reasonably rigid structure can be obtained by merely extending them through the slots. The top i'I of the strap I4 is spaced a substantial distance above the top of the body ii) and forms a mounting for a centrally arranged upwardly opening reiiector-lamp socket I 8. The socket Illwhich may be of any suitable construction-is attached to the strap by means of screws I9 and is equipped with an operating switch 2D. The top I1 of the strap is provided beneath the center of the socket IB with a downwardly offset portion 2I which is centrally apertured, sleeved out and threaded at 22 for the reception of the threaded upper end of the pipe i3. The downwardly oiset portion 2! of the top of the strap loosely confines a lock.- ing washer 23 which is limited in its upward movement by tongues 24. The pipe I3 is screwed in until the upper edge of the pipe comes into wedged engagement with the washer. As in other assemblies of this general type, the portion of the pipe It below the holder assembly is surrounded by an ornamental tube 25, which tube is centered at its upper end with respect to the pipe by means of a centrally apertured cap 26 which iits about the pipe over the top of the tube. When the pipe I3 is drawn up tight it will of course clamp the tube 25 and cap 26 between the bottom of the body I0 and the base (not shown) of the oor lamp. The aperture I2 in the bottom of the body I0 fits the pipe I3 closely, with the result that the holder assembly is afiorded a rigid two-point support on the pipe, both at the top of the strap It and at the bottom of the body I0.

The holder assembly also includes a vertically removable sheet metal shell 21'which surrounds the center socket I8 with the lower portion of the shell covering the large openings at the op posite sides of the strap I4 and with the lower edge of the shell detachably secured to the rim oi' the body l0. The lower portion 28 of the shell is preferably of the same diameter as the rim 29 of the body I0 (see Figs. 6 and 7) and is provided with an abrupt outward oset 36 equal to the thickness of the metal of the rim of the body. This oiiset provides an annular seat 3i on the inside of the lower portion of the shell for engagement with the upper edge of the rim of the body.

Immediately below the offset 30 the lower edge of the shell 21 is bowed first outwardly away from the rim of the body and then inwardly back into engagement with the rim of the body, whereby to provide an ornamental reinforcing bead 32 on the lower edge of the shell. The bead 32 results in annular channel 33 on the inside of the lower edge of the shell, for interlocking coaction with three correspondingly shaped protuberances 34 formed on the outside of the rim 29 of the body. At three points about the lower edge of the shell 21 the bead 32 is not curved back into engagement with the rim 29 of the body but is left out, as shown at 35 in Fig. 7, whereby to permit the bead to be slid down over the rim 29 when the straightened-out portions 35 or the bead are placed in vertical register with the protuberances 34. After the shell has been moved downwardly enough to bring the rim of the body into engagement with the annular seat 3| in the shell, the shell can be turned slightly, causing the protuberances 34 to be locked within the bead 32 in a friotional engagement which is brought about by a slight tensioned springing of the metal of the shell where in contact with the under sides of the protuberances. As a result of this improved construction, the shell 21 will be supported rmly and solidly upon the body I0, without any tendency to rock on the body.

The shell 27, when being turned into locked engagement with the body, is turned far enough to expose the switch 23 through an aperture 36 formed in one side of the shell. After the switch 20 has become exposed a knurled finger piece 37 may be screwed onto the switch 2E! through the aperture 36. The body I0 may be provided at one side of the same with a similar aperture 38 for accommodating another switch positioned in the body at that location. The shell 2T may be provided at its upper edge with a plurality of set screws 39 for locking engagement with a reflector bowl 43 carried by the shell.

As will be observed in the drawings, and particularly in Figs. 4 and 5 thereof, the legs I5 of the strap I4 are attached to the rim only of the cup-shaped body IB at points above the level where the tubular arms II enter the body; the spacing of the legs l 5 of the strap is substantially equal to the inside diameter of the body; and the inside diameter of the shell 21 which is designed to slip down over the legs of the strap is just large enough to permit the shell to be moved down easily over the legs. The strap thus serves as a centering guide for the shell while the latter is being moved downwardly into properly interlocked engagement with the rim of the body, and at the same time aiords an inside reinforcing support for the shell against any sidewise stresses to which the same may be subjected when in its locked position.

The addition of the strap I4 to the body IG, combined with the spacing of the top Il of the strap above the rim 29 of the body, serves to render the interior of the body readily accessible for wiring, the large openings at the sides of the strap making it unnecessary to disconnect any of the main parts while doing the wiring. When the shell 2l is locked in position on the body it of course completely covers up these side openings. The improved construction also permits of ventilation and ready heat dissipation within the assembly, the openwork structure resulting from the employment of the strap allowing air to circulate freely within the unit.

rlhe addition of the inverted U-shaped strap I4 to the rim of the cup-shaped body I0 provides in eifect a hollow housing, with openings in opposite sides of the upper portion thereof; the body I0 forming the lower portion of such housing, the top of the strap I4 forming the top of the housing, the sides of the strap forming the sides of the upper portion of the housing, and the edges of the sides of the strap, together with the edge sections of the rim of the body at opposite sides of the strap forming the edges of the openings in the sides of the upper portion of the housing.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings differs from the above described construction only in that the supporting pipe 4I terminates at the bottom of the body 42 and is screwed into the latter at that point, instead of extending up through the body into screwthreaded engagement with the top oi the strap 43. While this is not as strong a construction as the one above described, it is nevertheless very cheap to manufacture and affords the same easy accessibility for wiring. In this modification, the top of the strap 43, on which the socket 44 is mounted, may also be provided at its center with a threaded aperture 45. into which a small socket can be screwed should the larger socket 44 for any reason be dispensed with.

We claim:

l. A holder assembly for reiiector type floor lamps, characterized by a hollow upwardly opening cup-shaped body having a plurality of radially extending tubular arms for the reception of wires leading to lamp sockets on the outer ends of the arms, a strap of inverted U shape having its legs secured at their lower ends to the sides of the body and its top spaced a substantial distance above the open top of the body, whereby to provide openings at opposite sides of the strap for affording ready access to the inside of the body when wiring, a centrally arranged upwardly opening reflector-lamp socket secured at its bottom to the top of the strap, and a vertically removable shell surrounding the center socket with the lower portion of the shell covering the openings at opposite sides of the strap and with the lower edge of the shell detachably secured to the rim of the cup-shaped body, the legs of the strap being attached to the rim only of the body above the level where the tubular arms enter the body and being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the inside dimension of the shell, whereby to constitute a centering guide and inside reinorcement for the shell.

2. A holder assembly for reflector type oor lamps, characterized by a hollow upwardly opening cup-shaped body having a plurality of radially extending tubular arms for the reception of wires leading to lamp sockets on the outer ends of the arms, a strap of inverted U shape having its legs secured at their lower ends to the sides of the body and its top spaced a substantial distance above the open top of the body, wherebyl to provide openings at opposite sides of the strap for affording ready access to the inside of the body when wiring, a centrally arranged upwardly opening reflector-lamp socket secured at its bottom to the top of the strap, and a vertically removable shell surrounding the center socket with the lower portion of the shell covering the openings at opposite sides of the strap and with the lower edge of the shell detachably secured to the rim of the cup-shaped body,A the bottom: of the body and the top of the strap being both centrally apertured for the reception of a vertically extending supporting pipe.

3. A holder assembly for reector type floor lamps, characterized by a hollow upwardly opening cup-shaped body having a plurality of radially extending tubular arms for the reception of wires leading to lamp sockets on the outer ends of the arms, a strap of inverted U Shape having its legs secured at their lower ends to the sides of the body and its top spaced a substantial distance above the open top of the body, whereby to provide openings at opposite sides of the strap for affording ready access to the inside of the body when Wiring, a centrally arranged upwardly opening reflector-lamp socket secured at its bottom to the top of the strap, and a vertically removable shell surrounding the center socket with the lower portion of the shell covering the openings at opposite sides of the strap and with the lower edge of' the shell detachably secured to the rim of the cup-shaped body, the bottom of the cup-shaped body being centrally apertured to permit the passage therethrough of a vertically extending supporting pipe, and the top of the strap being provided with a downwardly offset portion which is centrally apertured and sleeved out and threaded for the reception of the threaded upper end of the pipe.

4. A holder assembly for reflector type oor lamps, characterized by a hollow upwardly opening cup-shaped body having a plurality of radially extending tubular arms for the reception of Wires leading to lamp sockets on the outer ends of the arms, a strap of inverted U shape having its legs secured at their lower ends to the sides of the body and its top spaced a substantial distance above the open top of the body, whereby to provide openings at opposite sides of the strap for affording ready access to the inside of the body when wiring, a centrally arranged upwardly opening reilector-lamp socket secured at its bottom to the top of the strap, and a vertically removable shell surrounding the center socket with the lower portion of the shell covering the openings at opposite sides of the strap and with the lower edge of the shell detachably secured to the rim of the cup-shaped body, the bottom of the cup-shaped body being centrally apertured to permit the passage therethrough of a vertically extending supporting pipe, and the top of the strap being provided with a downwardly oiset portion which is centrally apertured and sleeved out and threaded for the reception of the threaded upper end of the pipe, said downwardly offset portion loosely confining a locking washer against which the upper end of the pipe is adapted to be tightly screwed.

5. A holder assembly for reflector type floor lamps, characterized by a hollow housing having a plurality of radially extending arms for the reception of wires leading to lamp sockets on the outer ends of the arms, a centrally arranged upwardly opening reflector-lamp socket carried by the housing at the top of the latter, said housing being provided with one or more side openings in the upper portion thereof between the bottom of the center socket and the inner ends of the arms to aiord ready access to the inside f the housing when wiring, and a vertically removable tubular shell surrounding the center socket with the lower portion of the shell covering the side openings in the upper portion of' theV housing and with the lower edge of the shell detachably secured to the housing below the side openings in the latter, the upper portion of the housing between the aforesaid side openings being of substantially the same diameter as the inside of the surrounding portion of the shell to provide an inside reinforcement for the shell above its point of securenrent to the housing.

6. A holder assembly comprising an upwardly opening cup-shaped sheet metal body, a strap of inverted U shape having its legs secured at their lower ends to the sides of the body and its top spaced a substantial distance above the open top of the body, a socket mounted on the top of the strap, and a vertically removable shell surrounding the socket with the lower portion of the shell covering the openings at opposite sides of the strap and with the lower edge of the shell detachably secured to the rim of the body, the rim of the body being provided at opposite sides thereof with inturned tongues, and the lower ends of the legs of the strap being provided with slots through which the tongues project in interlocking association.

PETER LEBERII. RUDOLPH DACK. 

